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Leesburg ratifies police union deal raising starting pay to about $70,000
Summary
The commission ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the Police Benevolent Association that staff said raises starting pay by about 8% to roughly $70,000 and locks a 5% increase for the following fiscal year; the union ratified the tentative agreement 29–0 prior to the commission vote.
City negotiators and staff presented the tentative agreement with the Florida Police Benevolent Association covering officers, detectives and corporal/sergeants. Deputy City Manager Rob Hicks summarized the pay provisions as the core of the agreement: an 8% increase effective in fiscal 2027 that the city said would raise starting pay "to $70,000," and a further 5% increase for fiscal 2028. Year three will be an open article requiring negotiations on pay and related items when the parties meet again.
Hicks explained the rationale tied to regional hiring challenges: "The region and the state continues to see difficulty hiring police officers...the magic number this year is about 70 grand to be a starting level officer." He said the tentative agreement was ratified by the department membership 29–0 in a recent vote. The staff summary included an estimated fiscal impact of $720,000 for police personnel related to the contract.
Commissioners moved and ratified the agreement by roll call that evening. Staff said the ratification closes this round of negotiations and that the budget team will reflect the new numbers in upcoming budget workshops. The agreement covers discipline, retirement, management rights and other standard CBA topics; most non-financial articles saw only minor changes in the redline provided to the commission.
